Orphaned and desperate, Imogen of Carrisford flees when a brutal lord invades and takes possession of her castle. There is only one man she can turn to for help.

A Knight's Rescue

He is FitzRoger of Cleeve, rumored to be a ruthless champion in battle and a tyrannical master. Imogen is stunned at the very sight of his powerful body, yet it is his cool green eyes that penetrate her very soul, making her tremble with both fear and desire. Sheltered all her life, she needs such a man to defend and protect her…yet she dares not trust him to put her desires before his own. But even as she vows independence, boldly standing beside him against treacherous enemies, her defenses crumble…falling helplessly to the gentle fury of her warrior’s love.

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Book Description

Product Description

A Damsel’s Plight

Orphaned and desperate, Imogen of Carrisford flees when a brutal lord invades and takes possession of her castle. There is only one man she can turn to for help.

A Knight's Rescue

He is FitzRoger of Cleeve, rumored to be a ruthless champion in battle and a tyrannical master. Imogen is stunned at the very sight of his powerful body, yet it is his cool green eyes that penetrate her very soul, making her tremble with both fear and desire. Sheltered all her life, she needs such a man to defend and protect her…yet she dares not trust him to put her desires before his own. But even as she vows independence, boldly standing beside him against treacherous enemies, her defenses crumble…falling helplessly to the gentle fury of her warrior’s love.

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4.1 out of 5 stars
27 reviews

Angie Mike

4.0 out of 5 starsDARK CHAMPION - Medieval Lords Book 2

4 July 2017 - Published on Amazon.com

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DARK CHAMPION was my first time reading anything by Ms. Beverley and I really like her writing. Chapter one was an attention grabber and was great, but there were a couple others along the way that seemed to drag somewhat. The storyline was good however and centers around Imogen of Carrisford who must basically find a "protector" since her father died and every man/villain around is after her money now that she's become an heiress. I probably would have enjoyed the book more if the teenage heroine hadn't have been so naive and annoying at times. She would go from being mouthy and sure of herself to afraid of a little kiss, and I often felt a huge contradiction in her personality. The hero, FitzRoger of Cleeve on the other hand was wonderful. He never used force or beat her, and was truly a man ahead of his time. All in all I thought he deserved a mate who was more woman and less of a girl. While not a favorite its still a worthy read I think, especially if you're a fan of medieval romances.

Below is a list of all the books in the "Medieval Lords" series and their reading order, for those who don't already know:

I loved FitzRoger of Cleve as he was portrayed in this book. He was not illegitimate, but since his father had a better offer - interpret that to mean richer woman offered to him after he had married Fitz's mother, FitzRoger was never acknowledged as being legitimate. Fitz's backstory is revealed toward the end including the details of why he can't abide to be in small enclosed spaces. Having been the King's right arm and after serving him faithfully, Fitz gets to take possession of his father's home and lands once his brother dies.

Since his lands border next to our heroine, Imogen's lands, she runs to him when her home is taken over by the brute of a man, Arnulf of Warbrick, who pillages and rapes her home and her people. When Imogen meets FitzRoger, she doesn't trust him, for he seems to be a cold and harsh man. However, I was literally fascinated with how his demeanor, honor and wisdom were portrayed throughout the book as he worked to serve Imogen, her people and his singleminded determination to make her his in every way. He was mid 20's and Imogene was 16 years old. He was anything but innocent whereas she had been sheltered from life's harshness by her father and was therefore very naive in many way.

When FitzRoger takes the responsibility for Imogene and the restoration of her property, she has some hard decisions to make which includes choosing a husband before King Henry chooses one for her. Better the devil you know, so she chooses FitzRoger who was eager to have her and her treasures - yes, she's beyond rich with a hoard of treasures hidden in a vault below her bailey. But, in their personal relationship as man and wife, they have a very tough row to hoe because she has witnessed the violent rape of her personal maid by Warbrick and his men, plus she has a dirty old priest who continually advises her against the pleasures of the flesh.

I would have gladly given this book five stars except for the long drawn out fears that were displayed by Imogen toward the consummation of her marriage. Then, there was the ending that just wasn't satisfactory to me. Perhaps it was typical of medieval times - yet, it seemed that just when our H/h were getting somewhere in their relationship, they are separated for weeks with Imogen having to be afraid of FitzRoger due to a decision she made for his safety. The gathering of men to witness her judgment in her own home by the King was simply over the top.

Still, the book kept me dialed in and I can say one thing for Jo Beverley, this series of books has some great main guys for heroes.

I wavered between a 3 and a 4 on this because this is a 3.5 for me. The book was good, but what made me not like it as much, was Imogen's personality. At first it did not bother me, but half way through the book it started to really get to me. She didn't change until about two thirds of the way through the book. Just about every conversation with Ty she would irrationally start arguing with him for no reason or about stupid things. It also got to be whiny, constantly hearing her complain about him only wanting her for the treasure. Then you add it her freaking out about the sex part, and the fanatical priest and it made things worse. I tried to tell myself she was spoiled and never had to deal with these sort of things, and she saw her maid raped, but after a while the excuses for her personality grew weak. It just started adding up to childish to me. I did finish the book and she turns around in the end and I like her better.

Ty was a great hero, and honor and integrity were his greatest virtues. Whether or not you liked the fact that he told her he only married her for the treasure, and would have married her whether she was ugly or not nice, he told her the truth. He told her he would have treated her with respect no matter what the case was. You have to respect him for that.

Jo Beverley also needs to make it from the man's point of view as well, not mostly just the woman's. I like to have both points of view and feel kind of cheated when they only do the woman's point of view. It is really too bad this could have been a great book. If not for Imogen i would have given it a least a 4.

This almost seemed like an exercise in "how unlikely can the situations seem and yet still be forced into a resolution?" Some characters are over the top, caricatures of extreme behavior, past believability. I did enjoy the details of the secret passage to the treasure, though; very clever. More by-the-numbers than most of her work, though still fun.